Public Health

The area that I chose to further investigate is public health. The career path I plan to follow after I complete my undergraduate studies in human biology is to get a masters degree in public health. I know that there are a variety of areas in public health that I am not knowledgeable about, hence why I want to further investigate. So far, I understand the need for anthropology in the public health field for various reasons. Public health focuses on the health needs of populations as a whole instead of individuals. It is important to look at the major and minor problems of an entire population in other parts of the world so we can respond quickly to any threats of infectious diseases if it were to spread. We must look at not only our genetic background and personal choices, but the environment around us to determine what kind of health care is necessary for the population as a whole.

From the viewpoint of me working under a doctor, taking an anthropological viewpoint can help doctors understand the patients’ cultural beliefs and viewpoints on health. The study of anthropology focuses on human interactions and behaviors from the past and present. Knowing a cultures beliefs, traditions, and daily habits can help doctors see if these behaviors have an effect on their health and where the illnesses or diseases may have evolved from. With the various areas of anthropology, new ideas and perspectives should be integrated into professional settings for the purpose of having a clear understanding of a patient’s health and background. Many nurses and doctors could greatly benefit from understanding the role that anthropology can play in the development of new policy decisions because some culture based diseases are spread and not properly taken care of because people simply are not knowledgeable about diseases in other cultures.

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Reading your reflection about public health, it is very clear that you have a strong interest and the topic. I agree with you that to study this area, it is very important to look at major and minor problems of an entire population. I also like how you touch upon the fact that only looking at our genetic information is not enough; that we have to look at the environment around us and see how it hinders or makes our health better.
I think it is also imperative to get the people involved. I just think there can be great benefit in increasing awareness on public health as a whole and getting the people it is affecting involved as well. This will allow people to see firsthand what is affecting the community and help come up with ways to lower chances of epidemics and diseases spreading. I like how you talked about how studying public health can help in determining what health care is necessary for the population as a whole. I think that this is also very important because if there is knowledge of diseases that are detrimental to a community, more resources and funds could be focused towards that particular problem.